Gate-latch.



H. B. GROWELL.

GATE LATCH.

APPLIoATIoN FILED rms. 19, 1910.

Patented Ju1y 12, 1910 ...ME H @MHHM JMW/m Y H'rowell,

H. B. GROWELL.

Y GATE LATCH.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 19, 1910.

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HENRY IB. CROWELL, OF WALTHALL, MISSISSIPPI.

GATE-LATCH.

Speciication of Letters Patent.

Patented July 12, 1910.

Application filed February 19, 1910. Serial No. 544,760.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY B. CRowELL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Walthall, in the county of Webster and State of Mississippi,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gate- Latches, ofwhich the following is a specification, reference being'had to theaccompanying drawings.

y invention relates to improvements in latches or fastenings for slidingand swinging members such as fences, gates, doors, windows and the like.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and practical deviceof this character which will be `self-locking when the closure or memberis moved to its closed position, and in which the locking member or boltwhen retracted will be automatically held in retracted position untilthe member or closure is moved to its closed position.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of thenovel construction, combination and arrangement of arts, hereinafterfully described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawingsin which 2* Figure 1 is a view in elevation illustrating one embodimentof my invention which is especially adapted for use as a gate latch, theinvention being shown applied; Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on theplane indicated by the line 2 2 in Fig. 1 showing the bolt or lockingmember in locking position; Fig. 3 is a vertical section through thegate and the latch showing the gate in a partially open position and thelocking bolt in its retracted position; Fig. 4 is a detail horizontalsection taken on the planeV indicated by the line H in Fig. 2; Fig. 5 isa perspective view of the supporting and guiding member for the bolt;Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the bolt; Fig. 7 is a similar view ofthe keeper; and Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the lever supportingbracket.

In the embodiment illustrated 1 denotes a horizontally swinging gate,and 2 its latch post. The latter carries a keeper member 3 which co-actswith my improved locking member or bolt 4 which is spring projected andadapted to be manually retracted. This bolt is slidably mounted in asupporting and guiding member 5 suitably arranged on and secured to thegate, and as here shown it is formed from a metal strap bent or doubledupon itself at suitable points intermediate its ends to provide parallelguiding lugs 6, 7, and also having a portion of it bent to form a thirdlug or projection 8 disposed in spaced relation to and parallel with thelugs 7 and adapted to serve as a stop as presently explained, the twoends of the metal strap being apertured at 9 to receive screws or otherfastenings. The bolt 4 carries a resilient member or finger 10 forengagement with the stop lug 8 to retain the bolt in retracted position,and said member 10 is formed preferably integral with the bolt by makingthe latter of a resilient metal rod and doubling it upon itself, one ofits ends being reduced in width and curved longitudinally to provide theresilient nger or member 10. The lugs 6, 7, are formed with pairs ofopenings 11, l2, to receive and guide the bolt 4 and its retainingmember or finger 10. The lug 8 is formed with an opening 13 adapted toreceive the extremity of the member or finger 10 when the bolt moves toits projected position.

It will be noted that the finger 10 cXtends across the space between thelugs 7, 8, into which space the keeper 3 is adapted to enter, and thatwhen the bolt is in retracted position shown in Fig. 3 the extremity ofthe linger 10 engages the lug 8 close to its open- -ing 13 in order thatwhen the gate is swung to closed position the finger 10 will strikeagainst the keeper 3 and be moved opposite the opening 13, whereupon thebolt will be moved to locked position and into engagement with thekeeper 3 by reason of the spring which actuates said bolt. This springis preferably in the form of a coil arranged on the bolt, as shown at 14and between the lugs 6 and a stop 15 on said bolt, which stop may alsobe utilized to limit the movement of the bolt under the action of thespring by so placing said stop that it will engage the lug 7 when thebolt is in projected position.

The keeper 3 may be of any form and construction but I preferablyconstruct it of a metal strap which has its intermediate portion bentinto U-form to provide a loop 16 which enters the space between the lugs7, 8, and which receive the end of the bolt 4, the ends of said strapbeing bent at right angles to each other to provide apertured attachingflanges 17, 18.

Any suitable means may be provided for retracting the b olt but when thelatter is disposed in vertical position on the gate as in the embodimentillustrated, I preferably arrange on the top or upper portion of thegate a hand lever 19 and connect the latter by 'a link 2O to the upperend of said bolt. rIhis lever 19 is here shown pivoted inte-rmediate itsends on a bracket 21, which latter is formed from a metal strap and hashorizontally and vertically disposed portions 22, 23, apertured toreceive fastenings which secure it to the gate. The portion 22 has oneof its ends bent upwardly to provide a lug 2li for supporting the pivot19 and the portion 23 having a horizontally projecting guide lug 25apertured to receive and guide the link 20. Said link 2O has its upperend loosely connected to the short arm of the hand lever 19, and itslower end formed with an eye which engages the U shaped portion of therod which forms the bolt and finger 10.

In operation, when the handle end of the lever 19 is depressed the link20 will lift the bolt l against the tension of the spring 14 when out ofengagement with the keeper 3 to unfasten the gate, and when said bolt isthus elevated its resilient retaining finger will leave the opening 13in the lug 8 and spring laterally into engagement with the clevis ofsaid lug, thereby retaining the bolt in retracted position, as shown inFig. 3. When the gate is swung to closed posi tion the keeper 3 entersthe space between the lugs 7, 8, and engages and actuates the springfinger 10 to move it into the opening 13, whereupon the spring 14projects the bolt into the keeper 3 to securely fasten the gate inclosed position.

While I have shown and described in detail the preferred embodiment ofmy invention I wish it understood that I do not limit myself to theconstruction set forth, since various changes in the form, proportionand arrangements of parts, and in the details of construction, may beresorted to within the spirit and scope of the invention; and I wish itfurther understood that while I have shown and described the inventionas applied to a swinging gate it may be used on various other kinds ofswinging and sliding members.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is:

1. The combination of a spring projected bolt, a supporting and guidingmeans for said bolt, a stop, and a spring finger carried by the bolt andmovable therewith, said spring finger being adapted to engage said stopto hold the bolt in retracted position and being arranged to projectbeyond the end of the bolt, whereby it will be engaged and actuated by akeeper which co-acts with the bolt. 4

2. The combination of a supporting and guiding member having spacedguiding lugs and a third lug spaced from one of the rst mentioned lugsand adapted to serve as a stop, a bolt slidable in said guiding lugs, aspring for projecting the bolt, and a resilient retaining finger carriedby the bolt and adapted to engage said stop lug to hold the -bolt inretracted position, the free end of said finger projecting beyond theend of the bolt and arranged in the path of the keeper which co-actswith the bolt.

8. The combination with stationary and movable members, of a keepercarried by one of said members, a spring projected bolt, a guiding andsupporting means for the bolt carried by the other of said members, anda spring finger carried by the bolt and adapted to retain the latter inretracted position and to be engaged and actuated by said keeper.

1. The combination with a swinging gate and its latch post, of a keeperupon the latch post, a spring projected bolt, a supporting and guidingmember for the bolt carried by the gate, and a spring finger carried bythe bolt for retaining it in retracted position the free end of the ngerprojecting beyond the bolt and adapted to be engaged and actuated bysaid keeper.

5. The combination with a swinging gate and its latch post, of a keeperupon the latch post, a spring projected bolt, a supporting and guidingmember for the bolt carried by the gate, a spring finger carried by theboltfor retaining it in retracted position the free end of the finger'projecting beyond the bolt and adapted to be engaged and actuated bysaid keeper, and means upon the gate forV retracting said bolt.

6. The combination with a swinging gate and its latch post, of a keeperupon the latch post, a bolt supporting and guiding member arrangedvertically on the gate, a rod bent into U-form and having one endforming a bolt arranged for vertical movement in said member and itsother end forming a spring retaining finger, a stop on said member toco-act with said finger, a spring for projectingv the bolt, a hand leverfulcrumed intermediate its ends on top of the gate, and a link havingits upper end connected to one end of said hand lever and its other endengaged with the U-shaped portion of the rod forming the bolt.

7. The combination of a supporting and guiding member having spacedguiding lugs and a third lug spaced from one of the first mentioned lugsand adapted to serve as a stop, a rod bent upon itself to form a boltand a resilient retaining finger, said rod being slidable inl said guidelugsl and said finger being adapted to engage said stop lug to hold thebolt in retracted position, and a spring for projecting the bolt.

8. The combination of a supporting and guiding member formed from ametal strap doubled upon itself at intermediate points In testimonywhereof I hereunto ailix my to provide spaced guiding lugs, and a. stosignature in the presence of tWo Witnesses. lug, the latter being spacedfrom one of sai HENRY B CROWELL guiding lugs, a spring projected bolt insaid 5 guiding lugs, and a spring finger carried by Witnesses:

said bolt and engaging said stop lug to re- H. A. GoULD, tain the boltin retracted position. E. D. EDWARDS.

